Mondesi out 5-6 months after shoulder surgery

KANSAS CITY -- Royals trainer Nick Kenney said on Wednesday that shortstop Adalberto Mondesi will require left shoulder surgery to repair a labral tear.

The surgery is expected to take place next week. The Royals' medical staff is in the process of selecting a surgeon. Kenney said that the anticipated recovery time is five to six months.

“That puts us in the window of him being ready for Opening Day,” Kenney said. “That is our hope.”

Mondesi originally sustained a left shoulder subluxation in July while diving to catch a foul popup. After rehabbing for six weeks, Mondesi returned to the lineup earlier this month. He then re-injured the shoulder while diving for a ground ball in the hole against the Twins on Sunday at Target Field.

Kenney indicated the re-injury on Sunday was identical to the original injury -- a labral tear.

A labral tear occurs when the cartilage that holds the shoulder socket in place is torn.

When Mondesi originally sustained the injury, he was aware he had the option of rehab or surgery, but he chose rehab in the hopes of playing again this season.

Royals manager Ned Yost said he thought surgery would be inevitable after the original injury.

“This is really the best-case scenario,” Yost said. “I didn’t think this was unavoidable. So it is better that it happened now rather than sometime in the offseason or during Spring Training. He’ll have the surgery now, get it fixed, and be ready by Opening Day.”

Mondesi, who was unavailable for comment prior to the series finale against the Braves at Kauffman Stadium, enjoyed a breakout season, hitting .263 with a .715 OPS. His 10 triples still lead MLB, and he is second in steals with 43.